Greens propose private sponsorship program for new refugees

Private citizens could sponsor up to 10,000 new refugees each year, under a Greens plan.

Greens candidate for Kooyong Julian Burnside speaks to the media. Source: AAP

The Greens have proposed establishing a program where Australians can sponsor individual refugees, taking in an additional 10,000 people per year who have been displaced around the world.

Based on a Canadian model, the program would allow private citizens to provide financial support and settlement assistance for one year after arrival, or until the refugee becomes self-sufficient.

The initiative was one of several points in the Greens' refugee policy platform launched on Thursday.

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